Household appliances are typically connected to electrical receptacles having at least a hot terminal and neutral terminal, and the terminals are usually implemented as receptacles to which an electrical plug of the household appliance is attached.
In an effort to limit the exposure of children to electrical shock, the National Electrical Code (NEC) requires that in buildings where the predominant function of such buildings is to provide shelter for children (e.g., schools, nurseries, daycare facilities, hospitals, residential housing), tamper-resistant electrical receptacles should be designed within an electrical distribution system throughout such buildings. In particular, since a large percentage of electrical receptacles used in buildings are installed near the floor, a young child or infant can insert small elongated articles into the cover apertures of the electrical receptacle. More particularly, if the child inserts an object made of conductive material, such as a metal article, electrical shock may result.
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,868,719 and 10,063,003, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, describe tamper resistant electrical receptacles. While those electrical receptacles are advantageous for many applications, they may not be able to accommodate many of the plug and receptacle configurations around the world. Therefore, there is continuing interest in developing and improving tamper resistant electrical receptacles.